(Cult Violence. Photo Credit: TELL Magazine)
Two persons have been k!ll3d in a renewed outbreak of cult-related violence in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, prompting condemnation from a civil rights advocacy group.
The deadly clash occurred on Sunday night at 3rd Marine Gate, near Deco Junction in Igbudu Community, Warri, and reportedly involved members of the Eiye and Aro Bagger confraternities.
It remains unclear whether the two victims were members of any cult group. Residents of the area have expressed growing fears over the possibility of further violence as tensions continue to rise in the community.
The Initiative for Social Rights Concerns and Advancements, popularly known as “No Justice, No Peace,” condemned the resurgence in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Derrick Agberen, who lamented that cult-related violence had claimed the lives of more than four young men in the area in recent weeks.
The group accused some community leaders of enabling cr+minal elements for political and other questionable interests, and warned that the proliferation of cult groups had fuelled illegal drug activities, the circulation of firearms, and political thuggery, creating a dangerous cycle of violence that continued to threaten lives and public safety.
ISRCA called on the Delta State Police Command to urgently convene a stakeholders’ meeting involving community executives and leaders in affected areas to develop lasting solutions to the recurring k!ll!ngs, and urged security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend those responsible and restore peace to troubled communities.
The group also highlighted youth unemployment, poor parental guidance, and inadequate government intervention as major factors driving young people into cultism, and appealed to local vigilante groups and the Anti-Cult Volunteers Corps in the Warri Zone to collaborate closely with the police in combating cult-related cr+mes.
ISRCA maintained that the Delta State government must prioritise youth engagement and empowerment programmes as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of cultism and insecurity across the state.
